Bard
|name= |firstseen = Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War |promofrom = - |promoto = Sage (FE4, FE5) |weapons = Fire (FE4, FE5) Thunder (FE4, FE5) Wind (FE4, FE5) Light (FE4, FE5) |skills = Play (FE6, FE7) }} The Bard is either a combat magical or a support class that appears exclusively in the Jugdral and Elibe series of Fire Emblem. In the Jugdral games, Bards are a combat magic class that is noticeably speedier than Mages are. In Thracia 776, Bards are able to wield Light magic in addition to Anima magic. Unlike regular Mages, they promote into the Sage class. In the Elibe games, the Bard is a support class that acts as the male version of the Dancer, non-combat units with the ability to refresh the turn of allies who have already acted in any given Player Phase. History in the Series In its original inception in Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776, the Bard class is a offensive magic-using class armed with both Anima magic and Light magic. It promotes into the Sage class. Beginning from The Binding Blade, the Bard class completely loses its ability to engage in combat, instead assuming a supportive role in battle. Through music performed with either the harp in The Binding Blade or the flute in The Blazing Blade, Bards are able to reinvigorate allies who have expended their turn and grant them an additional action. This makes them a male counterpart to the traditional female-only Dancer class. In The Blazing Blade, the Bard, like the Dancer, is able to perform special ballads with the aid of rings in order to bless their allies with combat bonuses, which last for one turn. Four such rings exist in the game; Ninis' Grace increases Defense and Resistance, Filla's Might increases Attack by 10, Thor's Ire increases Critical hit chance by 10% and Set's Litany increases Avoid by 10. Overview Combat In the Jugdral series, the two playable Bards, Lewyn and Homer, possess superior Speed to their Mage counterparts, allowing them to both perform double attacks and dodge hostile onslaughts with ease. In addition to this, they also have high HP, allowing them to sustain a greater number of hits. Like other Mages, however, Bards are still rather frail in the Defense department, and should be prevented from melee combat with physical units possessing high Strength. In the Elibe series, Bards are the male equivalent of the Dancer class and as such, they have the ability to "reinvigorate" units who have already expended their turn on the current Player Phase. Although they cannot equip weapons of any sort, Bards can refresh the turn of an ally unit who has exhausted their turn using the "Play" command, allowing them to move and/or attack again in the same phase. In The Blazing Blade, Nils, like his sister Ninian, can also perform special songs using special rings like Set's Litany in order to boost his allies' combat effectiveness for one turn. Care should be taken when using bards as they have very low Defense, which makes them vulnerable to the onslaughts of enemies. However, Bards do possess high Speed and Luck, allowing them to dodge most attacks that come their way. Generally, with proper positioning, Bards should be able to survive as long as the player does not subject them to situations where they are at risk of being slain. In-Game Base Stats C C C C |fe5=16*0*1*1*5*0*0*-*6*4*-* E E E E |fe6=14*1*-*2*7*0*1*0*5*6*-*- |fe7=14*1*-*2*7*0*1*0*5*3*-*- }} Maximum Stats C C C C |fe5=80*20*20*20*20*20*20*-*20*20*-* A A A A |fe6=60*20*-*20*20*30*20*20*15*20*-*- |fe7=60*10*-*10*30*30*24*26*15*20*-*- }} Growth Rates Promotion Notable Bards ''Genealogy of the Holy War *Lewyn - The prince of Silesse, who left Silesse after his father's death. Thracia 776 *Homer - A traveling bard and womanizer. The Binding Blade *Elffin - The tactician of the Western Isle's rebellion, actually Prince Mildain of Etruria. The Blazing Blade *Nils - A juvenile bard who is forced, under difficult circumstances, to mature prematurely and is the younger brother of Ninian. Gallery File:Bs fe04 levn bard magic.png|Battle model of the Bard class from ''Genealogy of the Holy War. File:Elphin bard harp animation.gif|Play animation of Elffin, a Bard from The Binding Blade File:FE4 Bard Sprite.gif|Map sprite of the Bard class from Genealogy of the Holy War. File:FE5 bard.gif|Map sprite of the Bard class from Thracia 776. File:FE6 Bard Map Sprite.gif|Map sprite of the Bard class from The Binding Blade. File:FE7Bard.gif|Map sprite of the Bard class from The Blazing Blade.